Automatic weighing machine



June 2, 1936.. I QURNN 2,042,627

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 26, 1954' l N VEN TOR:

WITNESS S- 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. J. QUINN INVENTOR: J. OU/NN ATTORNEY.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1934 June 2, 1936.

W I TN ESSES June 2, 1936. F. J. QUINN 2,942,627

AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE I Filed Sept. 26, 1934 I5 Sheets-Sheet '3 I N VEN TOR:

FRANK Qu/N/v W I TN ESSES Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,042,627 AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE Frank J. Quinn, Upper Darby, Pa. Application September 26, 1934, Serial No. 745,576

13 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic weighing machines, and has for an object to provide a mechanical device which will be interposed between the source of supply and the position of use of granular or lump material, whereby in transit the material will be weighed and the weight registered.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reciprocating car adapted at one limit of its reciprocation to receive material, and at the opposite limit to discharge the material, and at a point intermediate said limits, to actuate a register to register the weight of material contained in the car at that reciprocation, and to record, cumulatively, the weights of that and preceding loads.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a reciprocating car, a hydraulic system which will operate automatically to raise the car when empty, and lower it when loaded, and at a point intermediate the limits of movement, to actuate through the hydraulic system a register which in turn operates a recorder to register the amount of load at a single trip, and record the cumulative loads.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a reciprocating car, of means car, through its associated cylinder and piston, actuates the coacting cylinders and pistons, which in turn operate through the cylinder and piston associated with the car to raise the empty car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hydraulic system, including the necessary cylinders and pistons, valves, by-passes, compression chamber and register, for registering the weight of material at each trip of a car, associated with said hydraulic system.

The invention, therefore, comprises, in combination with a source of supply, as for instance, a bunker and an outlet, of a framework upon which vertically reciprocates a car, said car having associated therewith a piston which in turn is associated with a fixed cylinder, the cylinder communicating with other cylinders having pistons variously weighted and connected by valve conduits, the valve being operated by the reciprocation of the car, one of said associated pistons being weighted to correspond to the weight of the car and its normal load, the other associated piston being weighted to correspond to the weight of the empty car, the valve controlling a hydraulic system bringing said associated cylinders and pistons alternately into operation, and with a branchfrom said hydraulic system communicating first, with a compression chamber and with a register of the Bourdon tube type, whereby the pressure exerted upon the hydraulic system by the Weight of the material in the car, operating through the Bourdon tube, will register the load contained in the car, said register being intergeared with a recorder accumulating thereon the combined loads of successive cars,

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention and the views therein are as follows;

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of the improved automatic weighing device,

Figure 2 is a view of the automatic Weighing device in side elevation,

Figure 3 is a perspective, schematic view of the hydraulic system,

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the valve lever controlling the hydraulic system,

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the means for locking the two valves of the car, and

Figure 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the register-recorder.

The present invention is intended for weighing material which is being delivered from a storage device, indicated as a bunker I 0, and the material therein as I I. The material is to be transported to and delivered into a hopper or other device I2, having a spout I3, or other means for delivery.

The present invention is adapted for Weighing a great variety of materials, but will be described as delivering coal from a bunker to a stoker, or in position for hand-stoking, it being understood that it is merely an illustrative use, and in no way a limitation upon the invention.

Interposed between the bunker I0 and the hopper I2, guides I4 are erected, supported by any approved framework, as the struts I5. Slidably here shown as the shoes IT.

The bunker I0 is provided with any approved type of cut-off gate or valve, conventionally shown as a slide I8, sliding in the guards I 9. For sliding this valve member, a pinion 20 is provided, intergeared with a rack 2| on the valve I8, and the car is provided with a bar 22 having a rack section 23 which engages the small pinion 24 when the car reaches the upper limit of its movement, the upper movement of the bar 22 being indicated at 22.

The bottom of the car is provided with an inverted V-bottom 25, and the sides of the car are interrupted at 26 so that when the car is at its extreme lower position, as shown at Figure 1, there is a space beneath the sides and the outer limits of the V-bottom. This provides a space for the discharge of material from the car when the car is at its lower limit, said material finding its way into the hopper i2, as indicated.

Preferably, this V-bottom is provided with valves comprising each a section 21' and aheaviersection and hinged or fulcrumed at 29. The section 28 is sufliciently heavier than the section 2'] to normally hold the valve in alignment with the V-bottom but to be released when the contained material has so far been discharged as to uncover the heavier part 28 and exert its weight upon the section 2?. This is provided so that the discharge of the last of the contents will be substantially instantaneous for the reason which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The valves are locked by means of an eccentric 3i mounted upon hinge 29 (see Figure 5). A lever t l is pivoted at and when the car is moved downwardly to its limit, this lever engages the pin 33 and the tooth 34 is lifted out ofengagement with the shoulder 35 of the eccentric 39, thereby releasing the lock upon the hinge 29.

When the car ascends empty, the heavier section 23 returns the valves to the position shown at Figure 1 and locked in that position by the structure shown in detail at Figure 5. The car is provided with a piston 36 operating in a cylinder 31, and as the car rises and falls, the cylinder accommodates the fluid in the hydraulic system.

Mounted in any approved position relative to the car are cylinders 38 and 39. The cylinder 38 .has a piston 21d operating therein, and the cylinder 39 a piston 4|. Each of these pistons are weighted, the weight 42 applied to the piston 49, being intended to slightly over-balance the weight of the car empty, and the weight 43 on the piston 4| to slightly under-balance the car when loaded to its usual capacity.

From the cylinder 3'! a pipe 4 leads downwardly to a side-opening elbow 45. From this sideopening elbow 45 a pipe 46 leads to an elbow 4T, communicating through a pipe 48 with a cross 49. From one side of the cross 49 a pipe 59 leads to a valve 5|.

The function of the valve 5| will be hereinafter more fully described, but from the valve 5| a pipe 52 leads in one direction and through fittings 53 and 54, communicates with the cylinder 39. From the opposite side of the valve 5| a pipe 55 leads through the elbow 56 and side-opening elbow 51 to the pipe 58 communicating with the cylinder 38. A by-pass pipe 59 is. provided with a check valve 53 and through the elbow 6| and valve 62 communicates with the side-opening elbow 51 and, therefore, with the cylinder 38.

From the cross 49, a pipe 83 leads to the compression chamber 64 and another pipe 65 to the register-recorder 56, which will be described more in detail hereinafter.

The valve 5i is controlled by a valve lever 61 (see Figure l) which is attached to the valve stem 68, its function and operation being hereinafter more fully described. The valve lever 61, however, is actuated in one direction by a roller 69 carried by the car l6 and in the opposite direction by the spring 10.

The valve 62 is merely a cut-off valve manually operated by the lever H, the function of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The register-recorder 66 comprises a Bourdon tube 12 in communication with the pipe 65 which, through a link 13, actuates a lever 14 provided with a segmental gear 15, in the usual well known manner. This segmental gear 15 engages a pinion 16 upon the pintle T1.

The pintle 11 carries a needle or indicator 18 which cooperates with a graduated scale 19. The pintle also carries a walking beam 88 having pawls 81 engaging a ratchet wheel 82 integral with orrigidly connected to a gear wheel 83. The gear wheel 83 engages an idler gear 84 which in turnengages. the pinion 85 carrying the unit hand 8.6 of the recorder. Other gears 81, 88, 89 and 90carry, respectively, pointers 9|, 92, 93 and 94 in the usual well known manner of meter recorders.

In operation, with the parts as shown at Figure 1, the material is discharged beneath the edges of the car at 26, which have been uncovered by sliding below the fixed abutments uponeach side thereof. The material will continue to discharge until the level has reached to or approximately to the hinge 29 of the valves, whereupon the valves will be tilted rial dumped instantly. The carbeingthus relieved of its load, the weight 42 of the piston 48 will act through the pipes 58, 51, 59, check valve 60 and pipe 44 to raise the car, the weight 42 as has been explained, somewhat over-balancing the weight of the car empty.

At the lowest position of the car, the valve lever 61 is at the position 61", as shown at Figure 4. The car is raised through these positions 61 and 61', to the position 61 by the descent of the piston 49.

whereby the weight 43 on the piston 4| is brought into action and continues to raise the car to its. upper limit, and by reason its excess weight, operating through the bar 22 and rack 23,.slides the valve |8 to open position.

The weight 43 holds the car in suchrelation until the car receives its load, whereupon the load starts the car downwardly, the cylinder 31, still in communication with the cylinder 39, raises l8. Midway of its descent, the valve. 5| closes communication with the cylinder 39, the piston 4| at that time having: completed its upward movement, the weight then occupying the position indicated at 43 in Figure l.

The weighted car, of course, continues to move downwardly, and at this juncture, the compression upon the hydraulic fluid is by-passed into the pipe 50 and the compression chamber 64, the pipe 35, and to the Bourdon tube 12 in the registerrecorder 66, whereupon the needle I8 is swung around its are a distance in accordance with the weight of the material in the car, which may be variable.

The position of the car at this time is indicated by 61' at Figure 4. The continued descent to the position 81" opens a communication to the cylinder 38 and the completion of the movement of the car raises the piston 40 and weight 42. When the car has again discharged its load, the needle 18 will return to zero, zero representing the weight of the car minus any load, and any measurement indicated by the needle above zero and the remaining mate- I At the position 61 of the lever, the communication from the piston-.31 to the pipe 52 isopen,

and the piston 36 in.

the piston 4|, closing the valve When closed, the car indicate the entire will indicate the load its descent.

The manual valve 62 is for discontinuing the contained in the car upon actuated by the lever 1| reciprocation of the car. will stop midway, that is to say, with the piston 40 at its lower point and the piston 4| at its upper point. When again opened, the piston 4| and its weight 43 will take up the lift of the car, and if the valve 62 is again immediately closed, the car will perform one complete reciprocation, taking out its load, descending and discharging its load, and rising to midway and stopping.

The actuation of the car may, therefore, be

' manually controlled to receive and discharge loads singly, or by allowing the valve 62 to remain open, the car will continuously reciprocate, receive and discharge its load, respectively, at opposite limits of its reciprocation.

As the needle 18 returns to zero, the pawls 8| engage the ratchet wheel 82 and move the gear wheel 83 revolubly, thereby through the idler 84, starting the train of gears which carry the indicators of the meter in the usual well known manner.

The device, therefore, registers each individual oad as it is transported, and records the loads successively upon the recorder so that-the meter recording device will indicate the trip weight and weight of the material which has been transported and weighed.

Of course, the automatic weighing machine herein described may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the in- 1 vention herein set forth and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle moving between fixed limits, means to load variable loads into the receptacle at one limit and start the movement under variable load, means to discharge the load at the opposite limit, and means to mechanically register the weight of the load, functioning at a point intermediate the limits.

2. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted movement under such variable load, means to discharge the load at the means employing the pressure exerted upon the hydraulic system to register the weight of the load.

4. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted to reciprocate between fixed limits, a hydraulic system including a cylinder and a piston one of which is carried by the receptacle, means to load the receptacle at one limit, means to discharge the load at the opposite limit, and means employing the hydraulic pressure within the cylinder to register the Weight of the load.

5. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted to move between fixed limits, means to load the receptacle at one limit, means to discharge the load at the opposite limit, a hydraulic cylinder and piston one of which moves in consonance with the receptacle, other cylinders and pistons in hydraulic communication with the first mentioned cylinder and piston, and a pressure-responsive register in communication with the cylinder,

6. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted to move between fixed limits, means .to load the receptacle at one limit, means to discharge the load at the opposite limit, a cylinder and piston, one of which operates in consonance with the movement of the receptacle, other cylinders in communication with said cylinder, pistons operating within the last mentioned cylinders, weights applied to the last mentioned pistons, and a pressure-responsive register in hydraulic communication with the several cylinders.

7. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted to move between fixed limits, a cylinder and piston, one of which moves in consonance with the movement of the receptacle, other cylinders in hydraulic communication with the first mentioned cylinder, pistons cooperating with the last mentioned cylinders, unequal weights applied to the last mentioned pistons, and a pressure-responsive register in hydraulic communication with the several cylinders.

8. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle mounted to move between fixed limits, means actuated by the movement of the receptacle toward one limit for introducing a load to the receptacle, said means being oppositely movable by the opposite movement of the receptacle, means at the opposite limit of movement of the receptacle to discharge the load, a fixed cylinder, a piston carried by the receptacle cooperating with the cylinder, other cylinders in hydraulic communication with the first .mentioned cylinder, difierently weighted pistons cooperating with the last mentioned cylinders, means carried by the receptacle to control communication from the first mentioned cylinder alternately to the last mentioned cylinders, and a pressure-responsive register in hydraulic communication with the cylinders.

9. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle movable between fixed limits, a fixed cylinder, a piston carried by the receptacle cooperating with the cylinder, means to load the receptacle at one limit of its movement, means to discharge the load at the opposite limit of its movement, cylinders in hydraulic communication with the first mentioned cylinder, a weighted piston in one of said last mentioned cylinders, a piston in another of said last mentioned cylinders weighted in excess of the other weighted piston, means to place the first mentioned cylinder in communication with the cylinder having the maximum loaded piston at the time of loading the receptacle, means during the movement of the receptacle to discontinue such hydraulic communication and open hydraulic communication between the first mentioned cylinder and the cylinder having the lesser weighted piston, and a pressure-responsive register in communication with the first mentioned cylinder.

10. An automatic weighing device comprising a receptacle movable between fixed limits, one of said limits being the loading position, the other limit between the discharged position, a fixed cylinder and piston cooperating with the cylintacle, a pair of cylinders having hydraulic communication with the first cylinder, a valve controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid from the first cylinder to either of the pair of cylinders, a weighted piston in one of said pair of cylinders, a piston in the other ,pair of said cylinders weighted in excess of the weight of the other piston, means carried by the receptacle controlling the valve to place the cylinder with the greater weighted piston in communication with the first mentioned piston at the loading position, said means actuating the valve at a point intermediate the limits of movement of the receptacle to interrupt communication from the first mentioned cylinder to both of the pair of cylinders,

a compression chamber in communication with receptacle having an opening adjacent its bottom covered by stationary abutments at the loading position, said introduced load tending to move the receptacle away from the loading position and to discontinue the loading means, said movement away from loading position uncovering the opening, mechanism controlling movement of the receptacle including weighing means for registering the Weight of the load in the receptacle, and means disposed beneath the receptacle to receive the discharged load.

12. In anautomatic weighing device, areceptacle mounted to reciprocate vertically between a load containing reservoir and a load receiving container, means carried by the receptacle tending to open apassage from the reservoir upon its approach to loading position, means actuated by the load to move the receptacle away from loading position and reverse the action of opening the reservoir, said receptacle having openings adjacent its bottom covered by adjacent walls when in loading position the movement of the receptacle under the action of the load uncovering said openings to discharge the load into the container, valves normally closed adjacent to said openings and held in closed position by the load, said valves being constructed to open by the remaining part of the load when approximately discharged, and mechanism controlling movement of the receptacle including weighing means for registering the Weight of the load in the receptacle.

13. In anautomatic weighing device, a receptacle mounted to reciprocate vertically and having openings in the bottoms of its side walls, hinged valve members in the bottom, the valve at one side'of the hinge being heavier than the other side" and tending to close the valve, means to lock the valve in closed position, means at its upper reciprocation to introduce a load into the receptacle, the opening adjacent the bottom being closed by surrounding walls, means actuated by the load to move the receptacle downwardly, means at the lower limit of movement to unlock the valves, and a container beneath the receptacle to receive the load discharged through the opening in the said walls and the tilted valves.

FRANK J. QUINN. 

